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44 apply for village manager

A boatload of candidates have applied to become the next Spring Lake Village manager - including one from the Tri-Cities.
A total of 44 candidates are vying for the position vacated by former Village Manager Ryan Cotton, who started his new position as Holland's city manager on March 27.

Marie Havenga

Spring Lake

Apr 16, 2012

Village Council was scheduled to meet with Michigan Municipal League search consultant Bill Baldridge on Tuesday. However, largely because of the number of applications he has to sort through, the meeting will be pushed back until at least the end of the month.

“It's a very good response,” said Baldridge, who helped Spring Lake Township in its manager search that ended in 2007 with the hiring of Gordon Gallagher. “Considering the desirability of the location and the relative stability of the position, I guess it should not be a surprise.”

Baldridge said more than a dozen applications came in the day of the application deadline.

“I was a little surprised that so many came in at the 11th hour,” he said. “Sometimes some of your better candidates come in at the 11th hour simply because they're busy taking care of things at home (their current communities) before they worry about a resume.”

Baldridge said there is at least one application from the Tri-Cities area, but that he cannot divulge names or locations at this time.

“I can say we have a good, strong list of candidates,” the consultant said. “I haven't made a complete analysis, but most are from the Midwest. I sent out a list of preliminary questions and I'm just getting responses to those.”

At least one candidate has made himself visible. Former Wayland City Manager Chris Yonker attended the Spring Lake Village Council work session last week and announced he had thrown his hat in the ring for the manager position. Yonker grew up in Spring Lake and graduated from Spring Lake High School in 1975.

To read more of this story, see today’s print or e-edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.